LTA to explore improvements to 2 Punggol bus stops after commuters complain of bad design

[The_King]

 

 

 

 

SINGAPORE — The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday (Sept 19) that it is exploring improvements to the designs of two bus stops in Punggol that have drawn negative feedback from the public.

The bus stops, outside the Punggol MRT/LRT Station, are built slightly lower than the pedestrian and cyclist walkways that run behind the bus stop, with metal railings preventing people from falling off the ledge between the walkway and bus stop.

The bus stops are slightly shallower in depth than most others, with benches towards the back of them, in front of the ledge railings.

But the main issue raised in the feedback are the large square-shaped pillars located at the front of the bus stops, where passengers embark and disembark.

These pillars, combined with the smaller area of these bus stops, can make it difficult for commuters to see the street from the bus stop, causing them to have to move forward to peek around the pillars to check for the bus.

 

Not only that, the tight spaces between the benches and the pillars can be difficult to manoeuvre when travelling with a trolley or stroller.

A Punggol resident who gave her name as just Shireen, 21, told TODAY that when she takes her son to Waterway Point mall next to Punggol MRT Station, “it's a bit difficult to use the stroller to move around, especially when it is crowded".

"It’s a hassle for me to move around the bus stop and onto the bus,” she added. 

A 66-year-old part-time worker who lives in Punggol, who declined to be named, said that she has to stand up to look at incoming buses.

“Standing up (for seniors) is very straining on the back, but this (pillar) is really seriously blocking (visibility),” she said, adding that she has to stretch her neck out just to peek over the side of the pillar.

In response to TODAY's queries, the LTA said that the bus stops were narrower than usual because they were converted from passenger pick-up/drop off points. 

It also said that the pillars were placed at the front of the bus stop due to existing drains that run behind the bus stops.

"Given the site constraints, moving the columns behind the bus stop would require the entire structure, including the drainage system, to be reconstructed," it explained.

"LTA will be exploring improvements to the design of the bus stops through our regular reviews of public transport infrastructure. Improvements will be made to these bus stops where feasible.''

Pending any improvements to the bus stops, the LTA has advised bus drivers to slow down when approaching the two particular stops, so commuters have time to catch sight of the service number as the bus arrives.

Madam Ho Ching, the chairman of Temasek Trust, had also criticised the design of the bus stops and offered some suggestions on what could be done.

"As if drains are an excuse for not building a practical and user-friendly bus stop! And fat pillars in front to block the view of oncoming buses? Goodness gracious me! That’s just being polite, ok?" she wrote in a Facebook post on Monday morning.

"Haven't we learnt from building bus stops all these years?" the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong added.

She suggested that the architects and LTA team involved should do some "homework".

"Go take bus trips to visit all the bus stops, getting on and off each bus stop until they have a feel of each bus stop, their quirks, their shortcomings, and come up with ideas to make each bus stop better — do this for at least a month, in dry season, and again in the wet season."

[Nick Fury]

The designers obviously drive and don’t take public transport